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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Final Destination: Bloodlines Review: I've Been Waiting 14 Years For This, And It's Just What I Wanted
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. 'Formulaic' is typically not a word any movie-goers wants to find in a review thanks to a negative connotation, but allow me to argue for the Final Destination franchise as an exception: in the case of this series, there is a clear formula that brings success. At the top of the list is a massive disaster that arrives via a protagonist's vision. Then there is the collection of conflicting personalities who deal with the news of their impending demise with variety. And finally, Death, an incorporeal villain, must abide by a certain design while also unfurling complicated, shocking, and creative executions. Final Destination: Bloodlines Release Date: May 2, 2025Directed By: Zach Lipovsky and Adam SteinWritten By: Guy Busick & Lori Evans TaylorStarring: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Teo Briones, Alex Zahara, Rya Kihlstedt, Gabrielle Rose, Brec Bassinger and Tony ToddRating: R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and languageRuntime: 110 minutes It's a specific simplicity that I can get behind, and it's why I've now counted myself as a fan of the Final Destination films for a quarter-century now (my appreciation for the full totality of the series only interrupted by the unfortunately awful The Final Destination). If a new chapter can tick all of those boxes, I'm going to be satisfied – grinning ear to ear as pieces of delicate Rube Goldberg-esque machinations fall into place and result in blood flying and body parts being eviscerated. Thankfully, that's the darkly joyful experience offered for genre fans with director Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein's Final Destination: Bloodlines. For reasons that aren't immediately apparent, the series has been in hibernation for the last 14 years, with 2011's Final Destination 5 (a box office success) being a superlative installment with a brilliant twist and serving up a 'leave them wanting more' vibe. That movie had previously been the title that I deemed to be the best sequel, but it has now been usurped. It's not often that this is something you can say about the sixth chapter of a franchise, but Final Destination: Bloodlines offers up some clever and sinister ideas that blend beautifully with the familiar, and it makes bold moves that enrich the canon. It's a work that feels organically grown from decades of fan appreciation on behalf of the filmmakers and wholly worth the wait. As is tradition, the film begins with a devastating, intense, and violent disaster – specifically a deadly incident at the opening of a ritzy restaurant at the top of a skyscraper in 1968 – but in a twist, the event is not just a vision of the sequence's central figure (Brec Bassinger). It's also revealed as the recurring nightmare of Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a college student who has no idea what dream means but knows that it has something to do with her mysterious never-discussed grandmother. Taking a break from school to reunite with her family and get some answers, Stefani learns that her mother's mother Iris (Gabrielle Rose) successfully stopped the skyscraper collapse in the late 1960s, but she has spent the decades since then convinced that Death is targeting not only her and everyone she saved, but also the descendants who never should have been born. The protagonist finds herself properly convinced of the danger and Death's design, and she tries to convince her uncle (Alex Zahara), her cousins (Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore), her brother (Teo Briones) and her estranged mother (Rya Kihlstedt) of the blood-soaked reality before it is too late. The Final Destination movies have never really put a major emphasis on connecting threads between the sequels before (a side effect of each installment slaughtering its collection of characters), but it can be said that all of the right lessons were taken away from the surprise loop-back ending of Final Destination 5 in the making of the latest sequel. In Final Destination: Bloodlines, a specific effort is made by screenwriters Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor to connect dots in the franchise to create a bigger picture that was never really envisioned prior, and it's a tremendous balancing act of both major revelation and maintaining mystery that works incredibly well. It adds dimensions to the 'Death's design' concept that are far more complex than what's in the film's predecessors, but it's never so complicated that it sucks the fun out the endeavor. There are easter eggs galore for fans to feast on – both in the story and in the props/production design, and it even manages to pull off what I would have previously thought would be impossible: it provides a satisfying backstory for the ever-mysterious William Bludworth, played by late genre legend Tony Todd, and it even packs some powerful emotion in the orchestration of a goodbye to the character. It answers a great number of big questions within the canon while also keeping the door open for the future. The new film's 'in' to Final Destination storytelling is rock solid, but what fans are inarguably looking for in Bloodlines are plenty of slow-building horror sequences, and once it lines up all of its potential victims, it doesn't disappoint. It's a hallmark of these movies to try and instill fear from every day activities (the ultimate example being that it's impossible to drive behind/past a logging truck without thinking about the opening sequence of Final Destination 2), and it's pulled off with disgusting aplomb again here. Backyard barbecues, tattoo parlors, MRI machines and more will all now inspire some subconscious wariness thanks to simple, ping-ponging circumstances that escalate to gnarly bloodshed on screen. Multiple sequences are downright disgusting, but Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein know that they are playing to a different breed of sick puppy than those who enjoy, for example, the Saw movies, and all of the horrific mayhem is properly pulled off with a funny flourish. The randomness of death in the real world is a cruel joke, but in the Final Destination universe, one is invited to be in tune with the devilish sense of humor, and Bloodlines perfectly gets that part of the assignment. It's not an outright horror comedy, but it understands how these films wink at the audience. Special effects are a perfect tool for getting this across, as there is a Raimi-esque understanding that a character getting a face full of blood splatter can be its own kind of hilarious. From the opening sequence where people are smashing through glass and being set on fire to sequences where characters are being impaled, cut to ribbons, and crushed, there is a lot of movie magic going on that is both disgusting and (for the right kind of audience member) enchanting. I will never understand why the Final Destination franchise was kept on ice for as long as it was, but now that it's back, I never want it to go away again. Bloodlines offers the precise blend of disgusting, fun, and clever that has made this series a favorite among horror fans, and while I still don't love how long I had to wait, it can be said that it was worth it.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Horror fans are just discovering the star of Final Destination Bloodlines acted in a cult classic decades ago
Fans are just discovering that one of the stars of Final Destination Bloodlines acted in a beloved classic nearly two decades ago... and many have been left stunned over the revelation. Final Destination Bloodlines hit theaters last week and, ever since it premiered, many viewers have taken to social media to gush over actor Richard Harmon. In the new horror flick, Richard, 33, portrays Erik Campbell - the cousin of main character Stefani Reyes, who is played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana. His rebellious and bold personality quickly captured the hearts of millions across the globe, turning him into a social media sensation practically over night. But when one X, formerly Twitter, user pointed out that Richard was actually in another popular movie when he was just a teen, hoards of his newfound fans were left completely shocked over the news. It turns out, Richard starred as the Vampire Kid in the popular 2007 horror flick Trick 'r Treat. Starring in the flick at only 16 years old, Richard's character was the one who wreaked havoc on the school bus before it plunged off a cliff and into the lake, killing him and the rest of the passengers on board. Since it takes place on Halloween and he's wearing a Dracula mask in the scene, Richard's face is never shown during the flick, which is why many had no idea that was even him. 'Wait so you're telling me that the Vampire Kid from Trick 'r Treat grew up to be the dude from Final Destination Bloodlines that every man and woman are thirsting for?' one surprised X user wrote after making the discovery on Monday. Immediately, their post went viral, gaining more than 479,000 views in a matter of hours - and hundreds rushed to the replies to share their thoughts. 'Bro this actually blows my mind. Trick 'r Treat is one of my favorite movies and I would have probably never noticed this,' one person wrote. 'Shut the f**k up no way,' someone else said. 'I am shook,' another another used, while a fourth added, 'I love him even more now.' 'Holy s**t that's so cool,' a fifth post said. 'So he's in two movies I love.' 'It's the same actor?' asked a different shocked X user. 'Trick 'r Treat is my favorite Halloween movie ever.' 'I didn't even realize that was him,' read another post. 'Wait so you're telling me that the Vampire Kid from Trick 'r Treat grew up to be the dude from Final Destination Bloodlines?' one surprised X user wrote after making the discovery Immediately, their post went viral, gaining more than 479,000 views in a matter of hours - and hundreds rushed to the replies to share their thoughts Richard actually has a long list of impressive acting credits. He started his career when he was just a kid, landing small parts in TV films like School of Life, Painkiller Jane, and To Be Fat Like Me. In 2007, he starred in Trick 'r Treat, and he didn't slow down after that. He appeared in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2010, and landed a recurring role in the show Tower Prep that same year. In 2011, he starred in two episodes of the children's anthology horror show The Haunting Hour: The Series, before he was cast as Jasper Ames in The Killing. From 2012 until 2015 he starred in the show Continuum - but arguably his biggest role came next, when he was cast as John Murphy in The 100. His other acting credits include the shows Van Helsing, The Flash, and The Night Agent, and the films Dear Mr. Gacy, Triple Dog, Judas Kiss, Rufus, Grave Encounters 2, Evangeline, The Age of Adaline, Crypto, I Still See You, Darkness Falls, and A Cinderella Story: Starstruck.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
When Will Final Destination Bloodlines Get Its Digital & Streaming Release Date?
Fans are eager to know when will get its digital and streaming release. The much-awaited sixth installment of the popular franchise hit theaters on May 16, 2025, fourteen years after the previous movie. The movie features a unique modification of the familiar premise of cheating death via deadly premonitions. It stars Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, and the late Tony Todd, among others. Here's everything we know. Final Destination Bloodlines has yet to announce an official digital release date. However, based on previous trends, it is expected to arrive somewhere between June 17 and July 1, 2025. Movies distributed by Warner Bros., which include Final Destination Bloodlines, typically arrive on PVOD about a month after their theatrical debut. For example, the 2025 sci-fi flick Mickey 17 saw its theatrical release on March 7, 2025. It then debuted on PVOD a month later, on April 8. Similarly, the latest Warner Bros. box office hit, A Minecraft Movie, had a period of almost six weeks between its theatrical and PVOD release. Thus, we can assume that Final Destination Bloodlines will follow a similar trend. Since Final Destination Bloodlines is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, the movie will debut on Max for streaming. Streaming releases of WB movies usually follow a two-and-a-half to three-month window from their theatrical debut. For example, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice began streaming on Max on December 6, 2024, just three months after its theatrical release on September 6. Since Final Destination Bloodlines arrived in theaters on May 16, 2025, we can speculate that it will begin streaming on Max sometime between August 1 and August 15. The official streaming release date will be announced soon. Max offers several membership plans at different price points ranging from $9.99 per month to $20.99 per month, according to premium features. The popular streaming platform under Warner Bros. Discovery will soon return to its former name, HBO Max. The post When Will Final Destination Bloodlines Get Its Digital & Streaming Release Date? appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Final Destination Bloodlines' Opening Was Originally Set On Riverboat, Directors Say
Partial "Final Destination Bloodlines" poster. The hit horror film Final Destination Bloodlines opens with the terrifying Skyview scene, but that dizzying sequence wasn't there when the film's directors, Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, started working on the film. Instead, the directors said, the original scene in the screenplay was not set 500 feet above ground in a tower in the sky, but in a boat on the water. Final Destination Bloodlines opened at No. 1 at the box office over the weekend with $51.6 million in domestic ticket sales and $54.1 million for a worldwide tally of $105.7 worldwide, making it the biggest opening in the six-film Final Destination franchise that began in 2000. The horrific Skyview sequence — set atop a Seattle Space Needle-like structure in 1968 — originates as a recurring nightmare that college student Stefanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) keeps having at the beginning of Final Destination Bloodlines. After a Rube Goldberg-like chain reaction leads to explosions and a breakdown in the structure, everyone in the Skyview restaurant either falls to their death or burn alive in the tower. As it turns out, however, the nightmare is a premonition of Stefanie's future grandmother, Iris (Bech Bassinger) had in 1968 in the Skyview, and in turn, everybody rushed out of the tower and survived. But death in the Final Destination movies has a way of coming for those who cheat their fate, and in this case, the grim reaper wants the survivors of the Skyview disaster and their blood relatives. In a Zoom conversation with Lipovsky and Stein before the release of Final Destination Bloodlines last week, the directors said the Skyview opening was a scene they helped build with the screenwriters and other talent to set the stage for the horror thriller. 'The draft of the script that we read and based our pitch around didn't even have that same opening sequence,' Stein explained. 'It had a completely different opening sequence that took place on a paddle wheel riverboat. So, we pitched a bunch of ideas for that sequence.' At the same time, Stein added, he and Lipovsky weren't afraid to tell the production that the riverboat idea had some choppy waters to navigate. 'We also mentioned our reservations about that direction, because as soon as we started going down the road of thinking about ideas and how to do a major disaster on a boat, you run into Titanic,' Stein recalled. 'But you're never going to have the budget to do what Titanic did. [We thought], 'You're never going to make a better disaster than Titanic, so you might want to think about other ideas.'' While Stein and Lipovsky were pushing back on the original riverboat idea, their candidness about the shortcomings of the script didn't rub the Final Destination Bloodlines producers the wrong way. 'I think one of the things that I think is really important in doing a successful pitch is to be very passionate to have lots of ideas, but then also be very candid about your reservations about the material because they want to know that you're gonna have lots of ideas of how to make it better than it already is,' Stein said. Interestingly, there were a couple of other key scenes in the final version of Final Destination Bloodlines that weren't in the original script, either. 'There wasn't a tattoo parlor scene and there wasn't a backyard barbecue scene,' Stein said. 'It was a very different movie when we first got involved.' HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 12: (L-R) Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky attend the World Premiere of ... More Warner Bros "Final Destination Bloodlines" at TCL Chinese Theatre on May 12, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic) Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein — who beat out around 200 other directors vying to helm Final Destination Bloodlines by staging a fake decapitation scene during a Zoom meeting with studio reps — said working on the film presented them with a decidedly different process than their 2018 indie horror film sensation, Freaks. Ultimately, it was an environment where the filmmakers said they thrived as new ideas were brought to the table. 'It's a many, many-year process that involves hundreds of people collaborating,' Lipovsky explained. 'It starts with all the producers and writers in the studio as we're working on ideas, but then very quickly, you start hiring crew. 'You're continuously iterating and having huge meetings with all the different key department heads and artists that are going to work on the film, and then you're also budgeting everything and going, 'Oh wait, well, we can't do that. So, we have to do this instead,'' Lipovsky added. 'It's this massive, evolving machine that can take many years to get all the pieces in place.' Brec Bassinger in "Final Destination Bloodlines." Stein said one of the first things he and Lipovsky did after they were hired was participate in a huge collaborative session of writers to bounce ideas off each other. 'They got a writer's room together with a bunch of talented horror writers from around the industry to just brainstorm [with questions like], 'What are other locations we could exploit? What are other fears we could exploit? Lots of ideas came out of that,' he said. After that, Lipovsky and Stein, as well as the film's writers and producers, had a 'roundtable summit' at Final Destination franchise producer Craig Perry's house to construct what became Final Destination Bloodlines. 'We went through all the ideas that were on the table and we basically started shaping the version of the movie that became what it is now,' Stein said. 'The Skyview idea came out of that conversation. Basically, we said, 'Well, if we're not going to do a boat [disaster], what else could we do? What are other fears we could exploit?' And that's where the fear of heights came in.' Final Destination Bloodlines, featuring a screenplay written by Guy Busick & Lori Evans Taylor that is based on a story by Jon Watts and Busick & Evans Taylor, is playing in theaters worldwide.
Straits Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
New Final Destination film slays North America box office with $66m opening
Canadian actress Kaitlyn Santa Juana stars in Final Destination: Bloodlines as a young woman who learns how her dying grandmother long ago cheated Death. PHOTO: WBEI LOS ANGELES - Final Destination: Bloodlines, the latest instalment in the horror franchise (2000 to present), made a grisly splash in North American cinemas over the weekend, taking in US$51 million (S$66 million) to debut in the top spot, industry estimates showed on May 18. 'This is a sensational opening for the sixth episode of a horror series,' said Mr David Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, adding that critics' reviews and audience scores were 'excellent'. The previous film in the franchise, Final Destination 5, opened in 2011 to just US$18 million. Canadian actress Kaitlyn Santa Juana stars in the Warner Bros flick as a young woman who learns how her dying grandmother long ago cheated Death – and she now has to deal with the shocking ramifications of that. The movie also featured American actor Tony Todd, who died at age 69 in November 2024. In one of his final movie roles, he played the recurring character William Bludworth, the mysterious mortician who had appeared in Final Destination (2000), Final Destination 2 (2003) and Final Destination 5. In second for the May 16-through-May 18 period was the previous weekend's leader, Marvel superhero film Thunderbolts from Disney, at US$16.5 million. The film about a motley bunch of antiheroes stars English actress Florence Pugh and Romanian-born American actor Sebastian Stan. Vampire thriller Sinners, starring American actor Michael B. Jordan in dual lead roles, claimed the third spot, taking in US$15.4 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations estimated. Bloodlines and Sinners continued a recent string of successes for Warner Bros, on the heels of commercial flops Mickey 17 (2025), The Alto Knights (2025) and Joker: Folie A Deux (2024), American magazine Variety noted. Yet another Warner film, A Minecraft Movie, placed fourth, at US$5.8 million. The live-action film, starring American actors Jack Black and Jason Momoa, has pulled in US$416.6 million in North America and US$512 million internationally in seven weeks. And in fifth place, at just under US$5 million, was Amazon MGM Studios' thriller The Accountant 2, with American actor Ben Affleck playing a neurodivergent math genius with criminal ties and American actor Jon Bernthal as his hit-man brother. Rounding out the top 10 were Hurry Up Tomorrow (US$3.3 million), Friendship (US$1.4 million), Clown In A Cornfield (US$1.3 million), Until Dawn (US$800,000) and The Amateur (US$712,000). AFP - Final Destination: Bloodlines is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
